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Casino Weekends Canada

Richmond, British Columbia · gaming age 19+

River Rock Casino Resort: weekend review

Last revised · facts verified

No Canadian casino hotel is easier without a car: Canada Line trains reach YVR in about seven minutes and downtown Vancouver in about eighteen. Add 396 rooms (some very large suites among them), Canada's first Gordon Ramsay Steak, a water-slide pool and a riverside marina.

  • Rooms & views8.5
  • Casino floor8.0
  • Dining9.0
  • Shows & events7.5
  • Pool, spa & fitness8.5
  • Getting there10.0

Ideal for: YVR stopovers, weekends planned around dinner reservations, and anyone happy to go car-free.
Look elsewhere if: The show you want is arena-sized — The Show Theatre seats 965.

Why book it

Richmond's River Rock has sat on the Fraser since 2004. Its 20th-anniversary upgrades brought in Gordon Ramsay Steak, the chef's first fine-dining room in Canada, and in June 2026 Great Canadian Entertainment closed a sale of the resort to a First Nations-led partnership. The practical headline: Bridgeport station, on the Canada Line, is right next door.

Rooms worth asking for

396 rooms across two towers joined by a sky bridge. In the Hotel Tower, King, Two Queen and accessible King rooms are 325 sq ft. The Casino Tower is suite territory: one- and two-bedroom suites at 525–650 sq ft, Executive suites with sunken living rooms, Penthouses of 1,000–1,200 sq ft over the river, and a 2,800 sq ft Presidential Suite — fireplaces, plus a starlight ceiling above the bed. In-room basics: safe, mini fridge, coffee maker, blackout curtains. Check-in age: 19.

Saturday: the dinner plan

Food is the strongest card here. Gordon Ramsay Steak ages its beef 28 days and now has indoor-outdoor seating facing the marina. Sea Harbour serves Chinese seafood, with dim sum 10 am–3 pm. KOI — sushi from the Kuns Omakase team — took over the former Miku room in 2026. The Chairman's Room runs the Grand Weekend Dinner Buffet (Friday–Sunday, 4–9 pm: adults $85, seniors $80, kids $35) and a Sunday brunch, 9 am–3 pm. Late: Chopsticks Noodlehouse till 3 am; Rock House for burgers; Privé Bar daily 11 am–2 am.

Friday night on the floor

A 24-hour, 19+ casino with a poker room and racebook. River Rock doesn't publish slot or table counts online, and we don't guess. Earn on Encore Rewards, B.C.'s casino-wide card. On stage, The Show Theatre's 965 seats suit comedians and tribute bands, not stadium tours.

Sunday morning, slowly

Pool with water slide, 6 am–10 pm daily. Absolute Spa (level 2, six treatment rooms) opens 10 am–6 pm. There's a fitness centre, and the marina out on the river.

Logistics

  • Resort fee: $19.99 per room per day, West Lot parking included (about a five-minute walk).
  • Pets: $35 each per night, billed for three nights at most; bed and bowls supplied.
  • Canada Line: airport ≈ 7 min, downtown ≈ 18 min.

Our call

Ideal for anyone flying through Vancouver and worth a trip for dinner alone. Big-show weekends belong further east; big-dinner weekends belong here.

What weekenders ask us

Can I get from YVR to River Rock by train?

Yes — ride the Canada Line to Bridgeport station; the resort says it's roughly seven minutes from the airport.

Does River Rock still do a weekend buffet?

It does: the Grand Weekend Dinner Buffet in The Chairman's Room, Friday through Sunday 4–9 pm, with brunch on Sundays.

What does a pet cost at River Rock?

$35 per pet per night, and the charge stops after three nights.

Where our facts come from

We verified the facts on this page on October 23, 2026 against the sources listed above. Rates, fees and hours change, so confirm with the hotel before booking. Found something outdated? Let us know. See more in Casino Hotels in British Columbia or the complete top 10.